A big thank you to our sponsor HESTA for making the night possible.

It was an important evening of connection and collaboration, highlighting what we know to be true: the community sector is government’s greatest asset. When we work together, we can make real change and achieve great things for people and communities across Australia.

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Last night, ACOSS was proud to host an event for our membership at Parliament House, co-hosted by Assistant Minister @gedkearney and attended by Minister @tanya_plibersek, and many other parliamentarians.

ACOSS strongly supports calls by Disability Representative Organisations to ensure people with a disability are at the centre of decision making about the NDIS and other essential services.

"This roundtable was a rare and welcome opportunity for invited participants to discuss in depth with government the big challenges we face,” said @cassandragoldie .“This must be the beginning of constructive dialogue and engagement with government on these issues.".

ACOSS CEO Dr Cassandra Goldie welcomed the constructive dialogue across the three days of the Economic Reform Roundtable, which she attended on behalf of civil society organisations. Read the full media release here:

“Tax reform is pressing. We are a low taxing country and need to raise more public revenue.”. Read ACOSS's full Economic Reform Roundtable Position Paper here:

"We do not have a spending problem as a country. In fact, we need to be spending more and better to deliver the services and supports the community needs and shift to investment in prevention.

She commented on discussions around government spending and tax reform that took place this morning at the Economic Reform Roundtable:.

Speaking to the media earlier today at Parliament House ACOSS CEO Dr Cassandra Goldie said she was encouraged by the goodwill in the room and culture of collegiality and determination to advance our shared national interest.

Read more in our Economic Reform Roundtable Position Paper here:

Over $150B a year is lost to tax concessions and shelters, mostly benefiting high-income earners. At the Economic Reform Roundtable ACOSS will be calling for action to raise revenue from people and companies that can afford to pay, to guarantee the services and supports we need.

The main driver of future projected spending is necessary investment in essential services – cutting investment in these services means people are deprived of the care they need, or we pay more every time we use them.

We do not have a government spending problem in Australia. From 2022-27, ‘real’ increases in the Australian government’s spending per person are below the long-term average when we take account of inflation and growth in population.

Any ‘pause’ on the next NCC residential update due in 2028 should be brief and the work should start now to ensure updated standards support ‘zero carbon all electric’ homes, and that implementation occurs quickly.

The National Construction Code is crucial to ensuring our future houses are safe, accessible, low cost to run and resilient to heatwaves and extreme weather.

To meet emissions reductions targets, to protect people from climate change impacts, and reduce people’s energy bills, it is critical that our housing is energy efficient and resilient.

2/2🏘️.We are in the midst of a #HousingCrisis.House prices and rents are skyrocketing, keeping people priced out of the private rental market and forcing more people into housing stress. There simply isn't enough social housing to meet need. #SocialHousing.

1/2 🏠.At the Economic Reform Roundtable this week, ACOSS called on the government to set targets to boost supply of social housing to 6% of homes in a decade, then to 10% of homes over two decades. #EconomicReform. Read our submission here:

We are optimistic that the roundtable will continue in the spirit of collaboration, laying foundations for government to work over the next three years with unions, business and community organisations on priority areas for reform that would have real impact on people's wellbeing.